Culinary ramblings of a mischievous cook. Recipes,pictures,diary entries and all things foodie.Follow a journey of life in the east Algarve, Portugal...

Friday, 26 June 2015

As palavras zumbido foodie,foodie buzz words

Describing food sometimes is not as easy as it might seem. How many ways can you say something was really tasty? Not enough to keep you interested in what you are writing. That is why we have to borrow words from other areas to describe the food and the effect it has on us.Attractive foods in theory make me more likely to activate a desire to eat than bland looking neutral foods.A brightly coloured dish of food is going to be far more appealing than say a chunk of grilled steak. So tempting food words should activate my brain with a desire to eat what is displayed in front of me, it should encourage a hedonistic impulse in me.For a while my most favourite tempting food word was unctuous.There is only one thing more enjoyable than cooking and eating belly pork and that is using the word unctuous to describe it.If you are not familiar with the word,it has several definitions, but in a foodie context it's used to describe something rich, luxurious, and fabulously fatty - think bone marrow, foie gras, and of course, pork belly.It could equally describe the starchy-soft quality of a good risotto.If you´re a food blogger like myself,a food writer or journalist and you are writing about pork belly,you just have to use the word unctuous or unctuousness whether you understand what it means or not.Ambrosial and nectar are another two well over used favourites of mine.By using these words to describe a dish of food or glass of wine it is possibly the highest accolade you could put upon it.It is comparing it to the food and drink of the gods.But once in a while a new buzz word comes along and my new word is pulchritude.I recently created this salad above, never thinking of how it would appear on the plate.The pulchritude of this salad is truly amazing.When I made it, never had I seen such a beautiful array of colours on a plate. All the vegetables and herbs looked so fresh and ripe in their pulchritude, a true testament to the stunning beauty that can be achieved in food preparation. Pulchritudinous is an adjective more commonly used to describe a person beyond beautiful, the next level above gorgeous, someone that even Aphrodite would envy. To a person who doesn't know the meaning of this word they may think at first is that it is a vulgar word and not a nice thing to say. But they are wrong, it is actually the opposite. This word is bloody difficult to say,but I love it and now I have found a new use for it. Roasted carrot and beetroot salad with a Moroccan spiced salad dressing1kg large carrots peeled4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juiceFlor de sal2 small garlic cloves finely choppedFreshly grated raw beetroothandful of torn mint leaveshandful torn coriander leaveshandful torn flat leaf parsley Freshly ground black pepperI medium sized beetroot washed and outer skin peeledCut the carrots into 7.5cm (3 inch) batonsHalve the lower ends lengthways, then cut the thicker upper parts in quarters lengthways. put them all in a large shallow roasting tray and toss them well with the olive oil,orange juice and flor de sal.Roast for about 45 minutes at 200C for about 45 minutes,turning occasionally until tender and patched with brown but still retaining some texture.While the carrots are roasting, grate the beetroot. Turn the carrots out into a mixing bowl and allow to cool completely.Meanwhile make the dressing.

Moroccan spiced salad dressing1 tbsp cumin seeds1 tsp coriander seeds1/2 tsp turmeric1/4 tsp ground cinnamon3tbsp lemon juice3tbsp extra virgin olive oil2 garlic cloves peeled and crushed with tsp flor de salStir the cumin and coriander seeds in small heavy dry saucepan until toasted and fragrant (about 30 seconds).Remove from the heat and stir in the turmeric and cinnamon.Allow to cool completely.Grind in a pestle and mortar. In asmall bowl combine the spices with the lemon juice,garlic,and olive oil.Whisk to blend well.this dressing can be made in advance and kept in the refrigerator for a few days.When ready to serve toss the carrot and herbs with the dressing in a mixing bowl.Toss the grated beetroot in another bowl and then carefully compose the salad on a serving dish

About Me

I´m a self-taught cook.From my childhood in Scotland through growing up in South East England, my mother was my formative influence. Holidays in Europe, America,Africa and Scandinavia fed me with culinary inspiration. Fifteen years of holidaying in Tavira, led me to up roots and follow the dream to live in Portugal. Here in Castro Marim we run a small guest house, Casa Rosada.Relocation has opened my eyes and taste buds to how recipes and their ingredients can change and develop when incorporated into another country´s food culture and how foreigners like myself adapt the local dishes,bringing a new slant to them.In the last three years I have been researching and cooking traditional Portugueses dishes and then inventing a modern twist to them. I´ve started this food blog so I can share new recipes and a slice of Algarvian life here at Casa Rosada here in Castro Marim.